11. Upcycled Jewelry Christmas Tree Tabletop Ornaments
What This Idea Means
Jeweled tabletop Christmas trees made from vintage costume jewelry are beloved holiday heirloom items that fetch high prices among vintage collectors. Built on cone bases, these glittering sculptures turn discarded green, red, gold, and crystal jewelry into holiday centerpieces.
How to Make It
- Prepare Cone Base: Paint a styrofoam or papier-mâché cone (8 to 12 inches tall) with dark green or metallic gold acrylic paint. Wrap with green velvet or ribbon for extra grip.
- De-Pin Jewelry: Remove pins and clips from a large collection of green, red, clear, and gold vintage brooches, earrings, and pendants.
- Set Large Anchor Pieces: Glue large star or rosette brooches near the top and scattered down the body using hot glue or E6000.
- Layer Downward: Glue overlapping rows of earrings and brooch fragments moving from the bottom base up toward the peak.
- Top the Tree: Crown the top of the cone with a prominent star-shaped or sunburst vintage rhinestone brooch.
Tips & Variations
- Tip: Use individual loose rhinestones and small pearl beads to fill any tiny gaps between larger jewelry pieces so no cone background is visible.
- Variation: Build pastel-colored trees using pink, aqua, and pearl vintage jewelry for a shabby-chic holiday look.
What You Need
- Papier-mâché or styrofoam cone base
- Large quantity of vintage colored jewelry (Brooches, earrings)
- Dark acrylic paint & velvet ribbon
- High-temp hot glue gun or E6000
- Flush wire cutters & tweezers